When I came to this place almost seven months back, I knew it is going to be tough, but I never thought that it would be such a big battle for survival. But now when I look at my result and celebrate about having ‘survived’ the system (as on today, as I know not what lies few months down the line !), though not in a great health, I often think of those who haven’t.
Here, the system is quite strict and also at one level though it is flexible, when it comes to discipline and academic standards it is as hard as a rock. In the relative grading system F is the lowest and D is the next. If in a year you accumulate 2 Fs, or 5 Ds or
And few Profs love to give a few Ds and Fs. There have been quite a few deserving candidates who are in the “red zone”, but there are many who don’t deserve to be there. This may be my personal opinion but this is reiterated by probably the entire batch. Passing marks is 35, yet many end up getting 33 or 34 and miss the marks by a whisker.
I don’t know why they do so. Maybe it is their ego. Or maybe they want to prove that the system is ruthless. But what it ultimately ends up doing is scare the hell out of the supposedly ‘mature’ students, and create discontent against the system. An often we dare not to mess with things if they are going wrong. Also the examinations, though often test concepts often go a step further to validate certain model of economics as if we are writing a research paper, and often doing well depends a lot upon how much you can cram.
Also contrasting Indian system with the western, we may be highly intelligent, brilliant and creative but yet our education system still focuses a lot on rote memory and following the norms, while in western world it is often more about freedom and entrepreneurship, where disagreement is not only accepted but often encouraged. Many Indians are leaving a mark globally, but a lot of them at one time or the other were a part of western system – be it Azim Premji, Manmohan singh, P Chidambaram, Indra Nooyi, Laxmi Mittal (all educated/ worked outside India). Though there are many like Mr. Narayan Murthy who does not fill this bill. Maybe it is a time for introspection though things are changing, or at least seem to be changing.
Still they claim to churn out the best ‘managers’. Maybe true, because of the kind of talent they get, types of facilities they have, but all in all we are mostly taught to be managers and not leaders. We get the opportunities, we get facilities, we get an excellent training, but we are taught mostly to conform, and often these ‘very’ best students become victims of the ruthlessness of the system. I accept that life is also not fair, but extending this to education… I don’t think it is worth it.
This all in one of the premier management institutes in India. Sorry, but I am very DISAPPOINTED.
Hi Buddy,
ReplyDeleteFirstly I would like to lend you a word of sympathy and encouragement that you are a part of the system and you still are surviving. That's good news.
For me to comment on, I would say this is is our Bharat and hierarchy and rules are bound to be adamant. You are a champ but you can't skip any trivial norm.
And every system has pros and cons. As the educational institutions of India do change for the better, Indian organisations also will.
If this last sentence of mine creates an ambitguity, I would clarify by saying an organisation run by Indians in India .
Your friend
Bhau
@Bhau
ReplyDeleteThanks for ur comment.
yup .. i agree that though thr are some cons, there r many pros of our system.
But systems can definately improve for good. Ideally, we should be willing to pick up good things from other systems, which we often do ... but at times we fail to do so.
And at times the victim maybe a potential genius, or a person who would otherwise would have gone places.